Shipping job aspirants left in the lurch

GUWAHATI: Nine students of a private Merchant Navy institute here on Friday complained that they were cheated by a shipping company in Sri Lanka. Filing an application with the Police Accountability Commission on Friday, the students asked the commission to take immediate action against Monoj Kumar of Haryana, who took them to Colombo and promised to appoint them in a shipping company, but cheated them later.

Monoj Kumar, who claimed to be an outsourcer of a shipping company in Colombo, allegedly took Rs. 1,26,000 from each student and ran away leaving them in Colombo. After spending several days in adversity, the students were brought back by their institute, Oceanic Marine's proprietor Sarnga Kalita said.

"We were charged with the amount for our Visas and other expenditure like travel and accommodations. Monoj Kumar took our fees and said we could join our job as General Purpose Rating in the Marks Miam ship in Colombo. But while we went to join our job, the authority said we had not submitted our fees, and so could not join. We tried to contact Kumer, but he fled the country leaving us in despair," said Bondip Gohain of Tinsukia, one of the students.The group of students included three from Assam, two from Arunachal Pradesh, two from Himachal Pradesh and one each from Nagaland and Uttar Pradesh.

Left with no alternative, the students approached the authority in Colombo but faced disappointment. "Monoj Kumar did not give us any money receipt. That's why when we approached the police they didn't register a case. We were left helpless," said Marke Lollen from Arunachal Pradesh, a student.

The institute's proprietor, Kalita, filed an FIR against Monoj Kumar at Dispur Police Station on December 14. "We have registered a case against Monoj Kumar under sec 406/420 of IPC and investigation is on," said a police official of Dispur Police station.

-TOI